This year, during the Lantern Festival, the city of Chang’an was filled with people and the lanterns lit up the city like it was day.
The sons of the capital’s noble families heard that the seventh princess was enjoying the lanterns at Xuanyang Square, and the young overlord, the second prince, was not in the capital, so they immediately rushed over.
The seventh princess combed her hair into a round bun, wearing a gold lotus flower headdress. Dressed in a pomegranate, gold-woven lapels, narrow-sleeved brocade dress decorated with delicate clusters of flowers, leather boots on her feet, and a leather belt was fastened around her waist. An ordinary outfit for rich young ladies, not elaborately decorated, but it still didn’t cover up her outstanding beauty. The brilliant lights made her hair buns look like clouds, the skin of her plump cheeks like snow, and when talking to her maids, her smiling face bloomed, increasing the bright and beautiful charm.
The youths’ hearts were like beating drums as they distantly stood in the back.
Who would have thought that the Xue family’s fifth son had drunk some Jiannang Shaochun before leaving home. The alcohol had gone to his head, going as far to dismount from his horse and advance towards her. His unsteady brain actually even read some unpleasant erotic verses to the seventh princess!
The young sons were livid and about to reprimand Xue wu1, when the Seventh Princess raised her eyes and faintly glanced at Xue wulang.
The next moment, the general by the princess’s side immediately rose up, unsheathing a long sword.
With a few slashes, the ghost mask on Xue wu’s head cracked from the middle and shattered into several pieces.
The shiny blade was only a finger’s length away from the tip of Xue wu‘s nose. He trembled all over and stumbled numbly to the ground, wetting his pants in fear.
The seventh princess did not even look at Xue wu, choosing a ferocious-looking yaksha mask to cover her face, gently walking in light steps, continuing to browse through the lantern market.
The young sons were dumbstruck, feeling cold sweat all over their body from fright.
Three days later, the second prince who had just returned to the capital heard about this matter. Furious, without even taking off his blood-stained battle robe, went directly to the Xue residence with double hammers to murder.
With a swing of the hammer, Xue wu lost half his life on the spot, but had to brace himself to get up and kowtow in apologies.
Grand Commandant2 Xue and the elderly furen intervened to plead for Xue wu.
Prime Minister Zheng, who lived next door, rushed over to make peace.
The second prince was unmoved.
If the Seventh Princess hadn’t sent someone to stop the Second Prince, Xue wu would have become an invalid.
……
Since then, whenever the seventh princess left the palace, young sons would still eagerly chase her on horse but none dared to go up and tease her.
When the seventh princess and the second prince traveled together, the timid dared not even show their faces.
……
Something had happened up ahead, making the road congested. The coachman waved his long whip impatiently, but the intersection was still crowded.
Passing carriages were all stuck in the middle of the road and complaints sounded from all directions.
Li Yaoying waited for a while before sending Xie Qing to the front to see why the road was blocked.
Shortly after, Xie Qing returned with an complicated look.
Yaoying asked, “What’s going on?”
Xie Qing had lowered eyes, not speaking.
Yaoying’s heart jumped.
Without waiting for her to ask, the crowded group in front of her suddenly dispersed, giving way to a road.
A piteous cry came from afar, and several military soldiers in black armor directed three young girls, striding from the direction of the east market, heading straight for Chongren Square.
The several young girls were 15 or 16 years old. As they walked, they looked around desperately, crying breathlessly.
The military soldiers sternly reprimanded them, causing the girls to tremble in fear and weep louder. The three huddled tightly together, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Pedestrians by the side whispered: “What a sin! What crimes did these little girls commit?”
A sneer came from the crowd: “Young girls in their prime, what law could they break?”
”Then why are they getting arrested by the soldiers?”
The one who sneered said, “They weren’t arrested—those soldiers are the Second Prince’s guards. The second prince took a fancy to them and took them! The soldiers snatched them to give to the noblemen as concubines.”
The crowd was filled with righteous indignation and cursed: “Snatching the children of good families in broad daylight, do laws still exist?”
The man then laughed grimly: “Under the feet of the Son of Heaven3, the noblemen are the law. Qin wang is the son of the emperor, who dares to offend Qin wang?”
The next moment, the voices cursing Li Zhongqian were incessant.
Yaoying’s face suddenly sank.
Second brother was not in the capital, the group of people in the wangfu4 were lawless again!
She stepped on the saddle and turned her horse around to catch up with those military soldiers.
Xie Qing hurriedly urged the horse to follow.
The military soldiers escorting the girls turned into an alley. Hearing the hoofbeats behind them, they thought busybodies from the roadside were meddling in their business, opening their mouths to angrily shout.
The three girls were shivering.
The sound of hooves approached.
The military soldiers frowned. Beneath Li Yaoying’s saddle was an unusual and distinct horse. With a glance, they could see it was a divine horse. She was surrounded by a few guards and Xie Qing; all broad-shouldered, robust, and imposing in manner. Wearing brocade robes and wielding long swords, evidently strong servants kept by a upper-class and rich household. They were puzzled at heart, but because they were guards from a wangfu, did not want to make fools of themselves. Puffing their chest out, they pulled out their swords, moving in front of the girls.
”Who comes here? Do you want to offend Qin wangfu?”
Yaoying galloped to the front. Without saying a word, she pulled out a soft whip, flinging the whip into a military soldier’s face, then raised her hand and whipped again.
The soldier was stunned by the whip. Indignant, he raised his sword to block.
Xie Qing blocked him and drew a sword to cut them down: “The Seventh Princess is here, don’t be impudent.”
The voice was calm and without ripples, but the blade was overbearing and fierce.
The soldier only felt his hands becoming numb. Dizzy, he couldn’t hold his sword steady.
When he came back to his senses, his sword had long ago fallen to the ground. He and several other military soldiers had already been pressed to the ground by the strong servants.
The military soldier struggled twice, recalling what Xie Qing had just said….. wait, Seventh Princess?
Qin wang’s full-blooded younger sister?
No wonder that Wusun horse looked familiar. A few years ago, Qin wang led the army to destroy several small tribes near Jincheng, capturing a few divine horses. Among them was the Wusun horse.
The military soldier raised his head in shock and looked at Li Yaoying, who was wearing a curtain hat, and trembled twice: “Forgive me, Your Highness, please forgive me, Your Highness!”
Yaoying’s anger did not subside: “Who told you to grab innocent girls by force?”
The military soldier said with a forced smile, “Your Highness misunderstood. The law is above me, how would this servant dare to openly take innocent girls? They sold themselves voluntarily as maids, with all the papers and deeds, and the guarantor’s pledge…..”
The three girls cried inconsolably.
Not waiting for the military soldier to finish, Li Yaoying flung her hand with the whip.
The military soldier cowered for a moment.
Yaoying put away the soft whip and took off the curtain hat: “No need to play dumb with me. You’re used to doing this kind of thing, you know that the government does not allow forcible robbery of innocent girls, so you forced their parents to sign and pledge that they were voluntarily sold as maids. So that even if their families go the the authorities and sue, it has nothing to do with you.”
The military soldier heard her tell the truth and dared not utter a word.
Yaoying asked word by word: “Who gave the order?”
The soldier sweated a puddle and prostrated onto the ground, saying, “General Xu Biao.”
The general of the wangfu, Li Zhongqian’s subordinate that he had personally promoted.
Yao Ying’s beautiful face didn’t have a trace of emotion: “Where is Xu Biao?”
”In…. in Pingkang Square…. Hu shop…..”
Yaoying turned her horse’s head.
”Go to Pingkang Square.”
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Buy me a kofi for faster releases.
I’d like to tell the author to calm down. She’s been referencing way too many poems that the uncultured me has to search up.
1: Directly translates as fifth Xue. It’s basically more casually referencing Xue wulang.
2: Grand Commandant: The supreme military commander, highest military official.
3: Son of Heaven: the emperor. Emperors usually proclaimed themselves as sons of heaven to legitimize their rule.
4: wang: prince, fu: residence. Prince’s residence.